A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property1 Intellectual Property

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property2 Intellectual Property and Changing Technology Intellectual Property Is: Intangible creative work—not necessarily the physical form on which it is stored or delivered. Given legal protection in the form of copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret laws.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property3 Intellectual Property and Changing Technology Copyrights are granted for a limited, but long, time. With some exceptions, copyright owners have the exclusive right to: Make copies of the work, Produce derivative works, Distribute copies, Perform the work in public, and Display the work in public.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property4 Intellectual Property and Changing Technology Problems from New Technologies That Affect Intellectual Property Owners High-quality copying. High-quantity distribution. Easier to use. Less expensive.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property5 Copying Music, Movies, Software, and Books Music Improved technology allows for easy, fast, cheap, and ubiquitous copying of music on the Web. Entrepreneurs create businesses to facilitate storing and sharing of music files. Many individuals set up free sites for music sharing, too. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) continues to fight unauthorized copying of music.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property6 Copying Music, Movies, Software, and Books Movies and TV Programs Improved digital technologies and greater bandwidth on the Net also allows for copying and transferring of movies and TV programs. Businesses such as RecordTV.com and Scour provided free services to facilitate copying of broadcast intellectual material. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and other entertainment companies continue to fight unauthorized copying of their intellectual property.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property7 Copying Music, Movies, Software, and Books Software Improved digital technologies contribute to unauthorized (commercial and non-commercial) copying of software. Individuals and whole businesses, here and overseas, continue to produce, transport, and sell (or give away) copies of software, manuals and supporting material. Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) as well as other software industry organizations and companies battle software piracy in the U.S. and abroad.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property8 Copying Music, Movies, Software, and Books Books Improved technology allows for simple, quick, and cheap copying of books. Counterfeiters of textbooks, novels, and other printed matter, profit by not paying publishers and/or authors for their intellectual property. Electronic books use encryption to reduce copying, but some e-book protection schemes have been cracked.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property9 Solutions (Good and Bad) Technology, Markets and Management, and Regulations and Enforcement Technological Solutions: Expiration date encoded. Hardware dongle required. Copy-protection schemes. “Activation” features. Encryption schemes; digital-rights management (DRM).

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property10 Solutions (Good and Bad) Technology, Markets and Management, and Regulations and Enforcement (cont’d) Markets and Management: Subscribe to services. Collect fees from users and large organizations. Meter usage of intellectual property on a network. Offer discounts to educational users. Educate the public about the value of intellectual property belonging to creators and publishers.

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 6: Intellectual Property11 Solutions (Good and Bad) Technology, Markets and Management, and Regulations and Enforcement (cont’d) Regulations and Enforcement: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and other laws. Identify abusers and shut them down in high-publicity raids. Monitor abuses. Enforce current laws and punish abusers.